Mother Earth Recycling began as a spot for disadvantaged teens, single parents and former convicts in Winnipeg to get back within the workforce. Now, it’s branching out in recent directions.
It’s positioned in a modest, white warehouse overlooking Foremost Street – the primary constructing you see when entering the North End through the underpass.
Tucked away next to the rail lines that bisect the town’s core, you would possibly assume that is just one other industrial depot in an area filled with them. But Mother Earth Recycling is doing numerous good for the environment, the Indigenous community and the encompassing neighbourhood.
The Indigenous owned and operated social enterprise began in 2012 as a spot for people to search out job opportunities while providing an electronic waste recycling service.
“We summarize as any electronics that you may plug in or runs on batteries,” general manager Jessica Floresco told 680 CJOB. “We also take lightbulbs and batteries.”
The corporate is now branching out to other services like refurbishing computers and selling them back to the community at a low price. Because of an IT team on-site, it may possibly also destroy sensitive data by crushing or shredding hard drives.
Recently, Mother Earth Recycling has been accepting mattresses and boxsprings. They’re taken apart and 95 per cent of their components are recycled.
It’s greater than just a hit story for the environment, nevertheless.
Floresco said the corporate hires individuals with criminal records, addiction problems or any barrier that keeps them from getting a full-time job elsewhere. Employment with Mother Earth Recycling lasts six months and offers employees various marketable skills.
Floresco said she’s seen first-hand how the work experience can change an individual’s outlook, with one success story coming from a girl with a criminal record who got here to the corporate after a detox program.
“She was depressed and indignant,” said Floresco. “First few months it was her hood up on a regular basis, didn’t need to seek advice from anybody and when help was offered to her, she didn’t need to take it.
“By the top of this system, she was the happiest, most bubbly person.
“She was phenomenal. She was such a tough employee. It just took getting past that phase of knowing we’re here and we’re not giving up on people.”
Floresco said the young woman ended up together with her dream job as an outreach employee, helping women on the road.
Winnipegger Chris Guimond is one other one that experienced the positive impact of working with Mother Earth Recycling.
“I used to be only making 150 bucks per week. It was not much to handle kids,” said Guimond.
“I used to be actually an alcoholic at one time. I used to be struggling through life lots. I didn’t know who I used to be.”
Guimond said he lost his father to alcohol abuse and he noticed he was going through the identical steps. Then, his partner announced she was pregnant and that’s when every little thing modified.
“After I had my son, I checked out him and said, hey, I would like to alter for him and provides him a greater life than what I went through,” he said.
“I would like him to have healthy relationships when he’s growing up. So he modified my life… I woke up. The sunshine turned on. You’re getting older, it’s time to smarten up. Daily I’m going home, he’s at all times waiting for me and he smiles each time he sees me.”
Guimond said it was rough going when he first began on the recycling plant, but he’s completely happy Mother Earth Recycling was willing to provide him the good thing about the doubt.
“I checked out that and said, ‘Wow… Jessica gave me all these probabilities and I’m still here.’ So I can’t do this to her no more — I actually have to be here for her. So I thank her for doing this for me and my little family.”
Guimond has been working full-time for over a yr and he now trains recent employees, a few of whom have was lifelong friends.
“My crew is awesome. I really like my crew. They’re really hard employees. We mess around lots but we still get the work done.”
Look ahead to the second a part of this story on Thursday.
